


Sasuga

by GreyWardenMaleia



Series: Hokamaii Gaiden [3]
Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, Gen, Original Character(s), Slow Build, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-16 18:21:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28586394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreyWardenMaleia/pseuds/GreyWardenMaleia
Summary: Hoka takes Kakashi back to Konoha herself, leaving Sasuga, her summon, with the rest of Team 7. Kakashi wakes up to see Hoka waiting by his bedside.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Original Character(s), Hatake Kakashi/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Hokamaii Gaiden [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2055021
Kudos: 3





	1. Sasuga

**Author's Note:**

> Brief junk exploring both Sasuga and (eventually) the friendship/relationship between Hokamaii and Kakashi.  
> Takes place prior to the Chūnin Exams.

Kakashi’s body began to seize as his foot made contact with the next branch. He felt his grip slipping. Though he had used his sharingan extensively, it wasn’t enough to cause the strange numbness that was suddenly overtaking him. Before he could speak, he realized the ground was getting very close.

 _Kakashi!_ He heard Hokamaii’s voice call out and he was grabbed before making contact with the earth. Someone had caught him and lowered him down carefully. Or was it two people?

It had been almost an hour since combat concluded. There was only one sensible explanation for what was happening. He squinted into the dirt as he cursed himself.

 _Poison_.

He grunted as he tried to push himself back off the ground, but it was as though his chakra flow had been completely halted. He couldn’t seem to push up with his arms. It was a strange feeling, as though he had exerted himself completely. It didn’t feel like a standard neurotoxin and took effect much more slowly. 

Kakashi could hear the sound of Hokamaii’s voice again, as well as Naruto and Sakura’s. They were focused on him, which was a relief – he wasn’t aware of them experiencing any broken skin by the same weapons, so he was the only one affected. It confirmed his suspicion that the toxin had been on the blade which had just grazed his arm in the fight. How hadn’t he noticed it was poisoned?

Since the enemy was felled and the scrolls retrieved, there was no immediate danger. The five of them were already on their way back to Konoha proper to have the scrolls contents inspected. Although this wasn’t in the contract bound by the mission requester, the decision was made that the scrolls were too dubious not to be first examined by Konoha security before being returned to their owner. Kakashi couldn’t smell any other people in the immediate area, but he soon realized that he was beginning to lose his sense of smell entirely.

Hoka dropped to Kakashi’s side. Though scrapped herself, she evidently hadn’t made any contact with the same wakizashi used to break Kakashi’s skin. Hoka was familiar enough with Kakashi’s prowess to know that the skirmish hadn’t been dramatic enough to put that much of a strain on his body, nor was he particularly wounded. Though, frankly, she had to admit: that they had managed to make contact with his skin at all was worthy of admiration.

No, something else was wrong. She ran her hands across Kakashi’s torso. When she reached his arm, she squeezed and inserted a tight jolt of pressure into his bicep. There was no response.

Hoka immediately brought her face down to take a closer look at the wound on his arm. She tore the sleeve apart where it had been sliced and small amounts of blood leaking into the fabric smeared across Kakashi’s arm.

The three Genin were already by them on the ground, watching. Sasuke and Sakura looked on from a distance as Naruto trotted forward. All three of them looked perturbed as Hoka bent down and ran her nose along the gash in his arm. Kakashi hadn’t bled too terribly, but the scent of his blood was almost thick enough to mask it. The smell was barely noticeable.

Something vaguely sickly and synthetic, almost like a mild antiseptic. Poison.

Too much time had passed to justify opening the wound. Moreover, this was something Hoka was woefully unfamiliar with. The smell was barely tracible and she cursed herself for not noticing the use of poison during the fight.

Where had the enemy gotten an odorless poison?

"Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke –” She began, and the three Genin looked up quickly. “I need to get him back to the village as quickly as possible. I don’t know what kind of poison this is.”

“Poison?” Naruto repeated, still looking confused. “Can – can’t you just bleed it out?”

Sasuke’s voice nearly interrupted him. “It’s too late for that.”

Sakura grimaced, her hands beginning to cup together. “Then we’ll have to move fast – “

“No!” Hoka cut them off and stood up. “I’ll move faster without you.” She pulled the bag of scrolls out from beneath her vest and hung it over her neck like an awkward satchel. “I’ve made it obvious that I have the scrolls. I have no intention of letting you three look like targets.”

With that, she formed a seal too quickly for Naruto to catch, and she slammed her palm into the ground. A black wolf appeared above the seal’s apparatus. It turned toward Hoka expectantly.

“What is it?”

The three recognized the wolf as Sasuga, Hoka’s choice summon. They had seen him before.

“I need you to escort the kids back to Konohagakure. You shouldn’t be targeted, but you might be followed. Can you do that?”

Sasuke scoffed angrily. _Kids?_ His nostrils flared and even Sakura was taken aback. Naruto immediately opened his mouth to shout.

“Hey, we’re not kids – “

“I can do that.” Sasuga interrupted him. The wolf looked Hoka in the eyes and ignored Naruto completely. It sent a flush of anger across Naruto’s face.

“Good. Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke – I need you to tie Kakashi horizontally to my back using the ropes in your pack.”

All three Genin dropped their irritation and nodded hastily, but they were confused. What did she mean “tie him to her back”? Before any of them could ask, Hoka hands formed several signs and she recited something unfamiliar to them.

_Ninpo: Ooguchi Hogosha._

In a cloud of smoke, Hoka transformed into something they hadn’t seen before: a wolf, but one unlike the form she normally used. It was over twice the size she normally took and stood taller than a standard draft horse. Her coat was lighter in color and the familiar streaks of brown were replaced with varying shades of white and cream. Her massive skull hung over them and her eyes twinkled.

Sasuke noted that she might have been able to fit all four of them onto her back. Was she so worried about speed that she didn’t want to risk their weight slowing them down? His brows furrowed slightly.

“We can take care of ourselves,” he stated, making his way toward where Kakashi lay helplessly. He began to remove rope and bandaging from his pack, and the other two quickly followed suit. Even Naruto didn’t disagree if Sasuke had found the situation acceptable. They all rushed to lift their sensei’s body and hoist it over Hoka’s enormous back, which she had lowered by pressing herself as closely to the ground as possible. They secured him tightly and coiled the rope around her massive neck and chest. As they did so, the scroll pouch swung conspicuously from her neck.

No sooner had Naruto pulled the last length of rope tight did Hoka took off into the woods. All three Genin looked on in amazement as the large creature bounded out of sight. Despite her size, she seemed to glide through the woods like a songbird. Within moments she was beyond the trees and out of view. 

“Let’s go,” Sasuga said, leaping up into the treetops and beginning his trot in the same direction. The three Genin followed and were immediately made cognizant of the vast difference in speed between themselves and the threatening form Hokamaii had taken before departing.

The new quartet steadily moved through the forest for what seemed like an hour. Finally, Sakura spoke.

“Sasuga-san,” she said, her voice polite but inquisitive, “why is it that you can talk to us as a wolf but Hokamaii Sensei can’t?”

Sasuga kept his eyes on the path ahead.

“I’m a summon. It works differently for us.” His curt way of speaking reminded Sakura of Kakashi’s summon, Pakkun. However, to her surprise, he continued.

“Generally human Ookami can’t communicate with their other team members unless they place a communication seal on them before transforming. My contract works a little differently.”

 _Your contract,_ Sakura pondered. _The summoning contract. Does that mean summon animals only speak if and when they were summoned?_

Sasuga went quiet and it was clear the conversation was over. They continued to travel in silence. After a couple of hours, Sakura spoke up again. Her voice was quiet.

“Do you think Kakashi-sensei will be alright?”

Her words attracted Naruto and Sasuke’s attention. There was worry in her voice. Sasuga took a moment to respond.

“If there’s anyone who can get him back to the village quickly enough, it’s Hokamaii-neesan. I’m sure she’s already almost there. The medics in the village will be sure to prioritize his safety.”

Though Sasuga’s insistence on Hokamaii’s speed was reassuring, Sakura was painfully aware that he had avoided giving her an answer. It was then that Naruto spoke.

“Hey, Sasuga, why is it that you call Hokamaii sensei ‘Hokamaii-neesan’? Is she older than you or something?”

Sasuke chuffed under his breath. Indeed, none of the Genin had ever heard Pakkun use an honorific with Kakashi. He recalled that the tortoise that Gai had summoned during the first stage of the Chūnin Exams hadn’t used any honorifics either. He was impressed to see Naruto being so observant.

“Yeah, she is. We grew up together.”

Sasuga didn’t say anything more, so the three Genin didn’t ask any more questions.

***

Another hour or so had passed and the sun was beginning to dip towards the horizon. They were likely nearing the edge of the forest. Suddenly, Sasuga stopped. He made a strange lupine groan before carefully descending to the ground below and Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto followed him quickly. The ninja wolf likely wanted to call it a night before losing the cover of the woods. Furthermore, they had been edging towards a river and they were now within walking distance of the current.

He sat quietly and looked up expectantly at the three Genin. Naruto squinted.

“You could at least help us set up camp,” he complained, pouting as he, Sakura, and Sasuke began to unfurl their bed rolls. Sasuga trotted into the woods, his black fur fading quickly from view, and returned several minutes later with a mound of sticks and starter timber held loosely between his dry, alabaster teeth. He dropped them lawlessly on the ground and turned around just as quickly, this time walking towards the river. 

“Sasuga-san sure has been quiet,” Sakura muttered, watching the lanky canine begin to stick his paws into the sparkling water. Naruto shrugged. Sasuke said nothing as Sasuga descended farther into the river. Both Naruto and Sakura looked on as Sasuga’s head suddenly bobbed and took a great swing at the water with his jaw. Even Sasuke squinted incredulously.

Sasuga then trotted back, dripping cold river water into the grass as he dropped a large, silver fish at the trio’s feet. Naruto scoffed.

“You expect me to eat that? It was in your mouth!”

The canine paid him no mind as it returned to the river, quickly skewering another carp and walking confidently back to the fire. Sakura tried to conceal the moderate displeasure on her face. Sasuke huffed and began to spear the fish with the gnarled sticks the wolf had gathered.

“If you want to eat, don’t complain.”

Sakura, not wanting to leave Sasuke with the dirty work, swallowed her pride and began to help skewer the slimy fish.

Sasuga was laying down in the dirt on the opposite side of the fire, chomping away at the third fish he had shoved down his gullet that night. Sakura and Naruto tried not to revile at sight of the fish blood that was beginning to soak into the dirt beneath Sasuga’s feet as he ate. They looked on at the fish still roasting over the fire. The scales were beginning to brown and blacken over the flames.

“I have rations,” Naruto remarked quietly, staring hungrily at the crisping fish. He weakly held onto a snack packet that floated in his pack. When Sakura and Sasuke leaned forward to take their share, his resolve crumbled. He dropped the cup noodle back into his bag and helped himself to the final skewer towering over the fire.

They ate in silence for several minutes. As darkness set in, Sakura spoke.

“Who will take first watch?”

Sasuga looked up, and the three Genin looked immediately towards him. Hokamaii sensei had put him in charge, and they expected to defer to his directions. Instead of answering, however, Sasuga opened his mouth and exuded a low moan. It was markedly different from his normal voice.

Sasuke cut to the chase. “Why aren’t you talking to us? We can’t follow your barks.”

Sasuga appeared to take a deep breath and let out a large sigh. He was staring them each in the eye when a sudden cloud of smoke overtook him. It cleared as quickly as it appeared, leaving the three Genin gaping and speechless.

In front of them, the slender black wolf was replaced by a young man with elegantly long, dark hair, and sleek, modern gray clothes. He looked to be several years their senior and had smooth, angular features.

“Sorry,” said the young man, in a voice similar to Sasuga’s. He wore a serious expression. “The communication seal must have worn off.”

Naruto jumped up, finger pointing with accusation.

“Who are you?” he shouted, “And where’s Sasuga? You’re not a cute wolf at all!”

The young man chuckled and Sakura felt a slight flush in her cheeks. _He might not be a cute wolf, but he is cute,_ she found herself thinking, before shaking her head vigorously. Sasuke answered Naruto’s question before the man could speak.

“Why are you taking the form of a person? Kakashi’s summons never transform to talk to us.”

Naruto glanced between Sasuke and the person in front of them. “W-Wait,” he said, confused, “You’re Sasuga?”

“Of course I am.” Sasuga retorted, his curt but formal speaking style similar to the wolf that had been silently leading them through the forest an hour earlier. He stared out across the fire.

“I thought Hokamaii-neesan would have already told you. I’m human.”


	2. Frustration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hoka brings Kakashi to the hospital. Team 7 and Sasuga get to know each other around the fire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will I ever explore whatever pseudo-plot this mission relied on? Almost certainly not! We're only here for the characters.

The sunlight was just beginning to turn gold and heavy with twilight when Hoka’s paws pounded into the ground in front of the village gate. The sound attracted the guards, who were taken aback to see the massive lupine creature making its way through.

Izumo was about to ready his weapon when he saw something in a Konoha uniform strapped to the creature’s back. He looked up nervously at the body atop the giant wolf and returned his knife back into his satchel. Kotetsu went to move forward, but Izumo rose his hand to stop him.

“Hokamaii-san?” he asked with hesitation in his voice, and the massive creature looked down and suddenly evaporated into a cloudy mist. Lengths of rope fell listlessly to Hoka’s feet. She was hauling Kakashi over one shoulder and breathing heavily. Though she seemed largely unscathed, Kotetsu blinked at the sight of the unconscious Jōnin pressed against her.

“He’s been poisoned through the cut on his arm,” Hoka said gruffly, transferring Kakashi over to the shinobi who were now trotting towards them. “Take him to the hospital immediately.”

In a flash, she was gone. Her first goal was to turn the scrolls in to security and complete the objective. She had already taken a massive risk by leaving the Genin with Sasuga, and she intended to compensate for her rashness by reconvening with them on their way back. She’d give all the information she had about the poison to the medics and be back on the road as quickly as possible.

***

“What?!” Sakura and Naruto gasped. Sasuke was silent, but his brows were furrowed. All three were thoroughly confused.

“Summon animals can’t be humans! …Can they?” Naruto turned to Sakura like he was pleading for an answer. Sakura was just as lost. She had never heard of such a thing, either. That said, their experience with summon animals was admittedly low.

“Not normally, no,” Sasuga responded. “I’m a…special case.” He paused.

He was hoping not to have this conversation. Hokamaii didn’t usually summon him for this long at a time. Moreover, he had never escorted three Genin at once before. Admittedly, Sasuga felt out of his element. He tried not to show it on his face.

“If you’re a human, why appear as a wolf at all? Why don’t you just turn back when you get summoned?” Naruto asked, this time leaning forward with curiosity.

“Like I said,” Sasuga replied, “I’m a special case. It’s part of my contract.” He sighed. “Besides, fighting in wolf form comes more naturally to me.” He stretched his arms out and bent towards the fire, revealing the thin shoulder blades on his back. When he opened his eyes, all three ninja were still staring at him. They expected him to elaborate and they looked on with bright, curious eyes.

 _Even the blue one_ , Sasuga noted.

He hadn’t planned on explaining everything to these three. But Hokamaii seemed to have become quite smitten with them, and he had a feeling that he’d have to work with them again in the future. The surrounding darkness of the camp was betraying how young the night was. He had some time to kill.

“I used to be a Chūnin.”

The eyes of all three Genin went wide.

“I didn’t want to stay in the village. The Third Hokage granted me permission to work under high-ranking Konoha shinobi as a summoning animal. It was their way of letting me fulfill my service and pay back the Academy without seeing me as a defector.”

He noticed Sasuke’s eyes digging into him.

“You gave up your freedom to be someone else’s pawn?” The judgmental child pressed his face into his folded hands as he stared. His eyes bore into Sasuga, which made a rage kindle in the former shinobi’s throat.

“No,” he responded firmly, “it’s the opposite of that.”

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke held their gaze. Naruto and Sakura’s mounting curiosity got the better of them and Sasuga was aware that they were sitting on the edges of their heels. He ran his gaze across the three of them.

“I can only be summoned by those who make a contract with me. It means I’ll be directed by someone who knows how to use my abilities.” He paused.

“It means I can’t be directed by the Hokage’s council or anyone else into some fruitless battle.”

His words lingered like the smoke that slowly wafted up from the fire. Sakura swallowed hard and dropped her gaze. Naruto pursed his lips and stared at the ground. What Sasuga had said made him angry _– incredibly angry –_ but he didn’t say anything. He felt something tighten in his gut and instead stared down into the fire. 

“So you’re a coward.”

Both Naruto and Sakura’s heads snapped upward. Sasuga breathed steadily, but he kept his eyes on Sasuke as though he intended to stare him down. After a few moments of silence, he spoke.

“You can’t be there to protect the people you care about if you’re already dead.”

Suddenly Sasuga rose to his feet and stretched his arms toward the sky. “It’s getting late. I’ve set up enough traps around camp to allow for one-person shifts. I’ll take first watch.” He turned his back towards the Genin and placed his hands on his hips.

“Get some sleep. I won’t return you to Hokamaii-neesan with bags under your eyes.”

Before anyone could object, there was a _poof_ and the well-dressed young man was replaced by slender black wolf once more. Naruto and Sakura watched as he slowly walked up the side of a large nearby tree and sat down atop one of its branches. His coat blended into the darkness so well that he was barely visible.

Sakura swallowed. If not for the green reflection gleaming from his eyes as he looked downward at them, she would have never even known he was there.

***

Hokamaii had left the village later than expected. She had lingered for too long at the hospital speaking with the doctor. Night had already fallen, and she heard Kotetsu call out to her as she made her way towards the gate. 

“Hokamaii-san! How is Kakashi-san?”

Hokamaii turned around and was relieved to see Kotetsu wearing a light smile. “They haven’t confirmed all the details yet, but they expect him to make a full recovery once they identify the toxin.”

“Once they identify…?”

“I’m heading back out to gather his team. We should be back by tomorrow evening.”

Kotetsu rose an eyebrow. Before he could ask her any more questions, she transformed into a large grey wolf and ran off into the woods.

***

“Sasuga, thank you for looking after them. I’ll take over from here.”

Sasuga nodded silently and disappeared from view. Thin wisps of inky fur floated through the air where had he stood.

The quartet had already been on the move when a rustling in the woods had caught their attention. All four of them had stopped, and Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke had readied kunai by their sides. Sasuga had risen an arm as if to stop them. When Hoka had appeared from beyond the trees as a large ashen wolf, she and Sasuga immediately traded places. Hokamaii had stood before them, wearing the same dirty vest from the day before. Sasuga had looked up at her with piercing black eyes, his tail lightly swishing. 

Obediently, he had vanished without a sound.

***

After catching Kakashi’s squad up on his current condition, the trip home concluded rather uneventfully. Hoka found it odd that after a single, skilled assassin with an odorless poison had come after their quarry, they were journeying home with zero interruption. The requester had paid a great deal for the retrieval of the scrolls. Despite the proximity to Konoha, the mission was ranked high on the scale and served as justification to send Hoka, another tracking specialist, along with Team 7.

She was lost in thought when she heard Naruto’s whispering to Sakura as they traveled.

“Hey, Sakura-chan. Why do you think Sasuga dresses in those weird clothes?”

Sasuke could hear them from in front of him. He had been assigned to watch from the rear.

“He’s not a shinobi,” he said, catching up with Naruto. “He’s not obligated to wear the Chūnin uniform.”

“Still though,” Sakura piped, a finger placed thoughtfully on her chin, “he was dressed rather nicely. To think he was a handsome young man all this time.” _A human that serves as a summoning animal._ She still couldn’t wrap her head around it. But were humans and animals really that different? If that were true, humans would be summoning each other all the time instead of needing to travel from place to place. _Right?_

“Handsome,” grumbled Naruto, his eyes squinting in disagreement, “he seemed smug if you ask me. And…”

_It means I can’t be directed by the Hokage’s council or anyone else into some fruitless battle._

“…what he said is still bothering me. What did he even mean by that? As if the Old Man would just send people off to die for no reason.” He felt his fist clench and his nails dug into the skin of his palm.

Sakura was quiet, but Sasuke broke the silence.

“Some people aren’t meant to be shinobi.”

From several meters ahead of them, Hoka sighed. She chose not to interrupt their conversation.


	3. Awake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hokamaii makes sure Kakashi wakes up before leaving.

“It was a combination we hadn’t seen in a long time. It’s fortunate that we had what we needed to form the anti-toxin on hand.” The medic held his clipboard in his hands haphazardly as he spoke. He waved it around, a soft, pleasant smile on his face. “Kakashi-san will probably be waking up within the next day or so. His injuries aren't serious, so there’s nothing to be concerned about. Aside from some mild discomfort and numbness, he'll be clear for discharge once he wakes up”.

Hokamaii returned the smile to the medic and let a sigh barely escape her lips.

“Thank you.” She said candidly, and stood there as the medic walked away. She let her shoulders drop slightly and she returned to the seat beside the hospital bed.

***

Kakashi grunted softly as blinding white light flooded his eyes. He squinted, and the forms around him slowly began to take shape. He was in a hospital bed. _Again_.

The memories began creeping back along with his consciousness and he remembered passing out amongst his comrades. Someone must have carried him back here.

“Hmm?”

 _A voice_.

“Kakashi –”

 _Softer now_.

“You’re awake.”

Kakashi could make out a shape next to the bed. “Hokamaii.” He closed his left eye as the rest of his vision returned. He tried to lean upwards, but a numbness in his shoulder kept him from doing so efficiently.

“Take it easy,” Hokamaii replied, knowing it wouldn't mean much. “They've given you the all-clear, but you’ll be out of commission for a few days. You've only been out about a day. ”

“I see,” He leaned back into the pillows dejectedly. “The squad…?”

“Everyone is fine, and the scrolls have already been turned into the Cipher Corps. I also included your condition in the report, so there’s nothing left for you to do.”

Kakashi sighed. “You already completed the report? That certainly makes me feel useless.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Hokamaii responded quietly. She made no efforts to hide her smile, but her brows were furrowed. Kakashi’s eyes trailed downward to where he saw Hokamaii’s journal and several scattered papers, each littered with red ink, spread out over the small table by his bedside.

_Had she been there all day?_

“I’m surprised we weren’t attacked on the way back,” Kakashi stated, having drawn the conclusion himself. Hokamaii appeared to be fine, and, evidently, not much time had passed. As always, her brown hair was bundled and tied low, hidden carefully behind the neck brace of her flak jacket.

“Likewise,” Hokamaii shrugged and dropped her eyes to the floor. “To a certain degree, at least. One assailant with a potent combination of poisons. I imagine they wanted to remain inconspicuous. It’s not unreasonable to assume that they had complete confidence in that assassin, after all. ”

“Yeah.”

Kakashi's voice was laden with either guilt or embarrassment. Hokamaii wasn’t entirely sure which. “Rather,” she said, raising her pitch a little, “it was evident they weren’t prepared for a shinobi of your cali –”

“You really don’t need to make me feel better.”

Hokamaii sighed. “You’re right. I’m sorry. But –” She rose her chin slightly. As she stood next to Kakashi's hospital bed, she appeared to be looking down at him. For a moment, he felt small. “Fortunately for me, feeling better is your only job right now.”

This time, Kakashi sighed.

“My bad.”

There was a short, awkward silence. Suddenly, Kakashi spoke.

“Well, give Sasuga my regards.”

Hokamaii’s blinked in surprise. _He couldn’t smell him on her, could he?_ They hadn’t even interacted for that long, much less touched each other. Not even her nose would have been able to identify something like that.

Kakashi rose his hand and lazily pointed a finger at her arm. Stuck to it was a single long, silky black hair.

Hokamaii let loose a hearty chuckle. She carefully pulled the strand from her arm and dangled it in the air in front of them.

“You’d think we’d get into so much more trouble leaving traces like this around. I’ve told him so many times to tie his hair back.” 

“If you had summoned him, then I take it you carried me here yourself,” Kakashi remarked plainly.

“Yes.”

“Splitting the team up was risky, even with Sasuga.”

“I am aware of that.”

Kakashi sighed again. He wasn’t going to win this conversation. “In any case, I’m sorry for causing you trouble. Thank you for bringing me back. I would have been in quite the predicament if you hadn't.”

Hokamaii smiled. She appeared to relax. That said, she still felt like Kakashi was putting on airs. Kakashi's back-to-business attitude was usually relaxing - it had this _incredible_ quality of removing the pressure from a situation - but this time it almost felt _too_ formal. It felt distant. 

“Feel better soon, Kakashi.”

They maintained eye contact for a moment longer than Hoka had anticipated. She blinked suddenly, and turned around to begin gathering her things from the table.

“I’ll be here if you need anything else. I have no reassignments yet either, so I will be available. I can make sure you have food tonight.”

Hokamaii smiled again and made to exit the room. Before she could leave, however, Kakashi spoke.

“That’s unnecessary, you know,” he said, his voice low, but deep. It seemed louder than it was. “You don’t need to make any special arrangements for me. You’ve done enough.”

Hokamaii spun around.

“Kakashi,” She was smiling as her eyes locked onto his, but her eyebrows were creased. What briefly appeared to be an expression of concern morphed into a smirk and her eyes began to sparkle. It was as though she was challenging him, and enjoying it. “Even if the mission is complete, we were on the same team. That means I consider you my responsibility until we're reassigned.”

Her gaze softened.

“Please. Make use of your friends.”

She then pivoted and Kakashi watched as she passed beyond the doorway. Hokamaii then closed the door behind her slowly, quietly. Respectfully.

As her footsteps faded from earshot, Kakashi closed his eyes. He found himself chuckling. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it is very unlikely that I will write anything else connecting directly to this scenario, so I think I'll mark it complete? I guess???
> 
> he...


End file.
